Powdered-fuel feeder.



W. L. CAVEN. v

rowoansn FUEL FEEDER APPLICATION FILiD SEPT. 2, ISHQ.

1 132 1 a Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. L. CAVEN. POWDERED FUEL FEEDER.

APPLICATION min saw. 2. m3.

Fatented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WALTER L. csvnnpr CINGINZPTATI, onto, 'ASSIGNOB. or ONE-HALF T0 WALTER aracnnon', or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

rownEnnn-runr. rnnnnn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 30, 1915.

Application filed seae'm a ms. Serial No. 787,604. A

To all whom it may "concern Be it known that I, VVAL'rnR L. CAvEN, a citizen of the United States of America, andresident of Oincinnathcounty' of'Hamilton,

and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Powdered- Fuel Feeders, of which the following is a Specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for feeding powdered coal and air to furnaces.

The object of nay-invention is a fuel feeder provided with an improved means for handling the surplus fuel which is drawn from the reservoir, and with an improved means for regulating the supply offuel and air, so as to meet the varying demands of each furnace.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of an apparatus embodying my invention, parts of the main vfuel pipe being broken out'and the ends being economize space. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the hopper and the means for' feeding fuel therefrom into the main pipe. Fig. A is a detail side elevation of the'fuel pipe,.the air pipe, and the branch, pipes for connecting them with a furnace. Fig. 5'is a perspective view of one of the gate valves for regulating the passage of fuel from the'hopper to the' fuel pipe. I

In the apparatus embodying my invention there is a. fuel circuit, through which a constant circulation ofpowdercd fuel' and air is maintained; furnaces located at intervals along the fuel circuit; branch pipes.

. leading from the fuel circuit to the furnaces,

and means for, regulating thedivergence of fuel and air from the fuel circuit into the L thereof being to-have the fuel pipe ad acent branch pipes and thence to the furnaces:

For the purpose of varying the mixture of fuel and air to meet the varying require? holding the powdered fuel, a dust collector B, for receivingthe surplus fuel and separating it from its air, a fuel supply pipe '1), which leads from a point adjacent to the hopper A back into the dust collector B. A vertical feed pipe 11 connects the lower end of the hopper A with the fuel supply pipe D.

brought together to illustrated two furnaces Hopper A has a rectangular bottom a, which 1s connected with the vertical sides a of the hopper, by means of tapering sides a In the bottom a of the hopper are two spiral conveyers a? a, the direction of rotation' of which are reversed relatively to each discharge-end. "The shafts of th e conveyers. v H

carry upon their ends intermeshing gear wheels a a. ,M w

Feed pipe d is provided with two gate valves d d by means of slides d (i of which the size of the passage through the f feed pipe cl maybe regulated. The slide (i is to regulate the amountof fuelpassing' through the feed pipe, and the slide (i perother, so th t th Spiral s will carry e forms the function of admitting air into the,

feed piped, in order to break the suction .feed' pipe 1d through the open end (1 of the I i that will be caused in the feed'pipe by the I air blown into the fuel pipe D from the fan.

Adjacent to the feed pipe d, the fuel supply pipe is provided with .a rotary fan E,wh ich the entrance of which into the forces air through thepipeD, to be inter-' 1 mingled with the fuel emerging from .the .feed pipe (1,

fuel pipe D is guarded by which prevents air fromthe fan blowin'gnp, w

st a deflector d the feed pipe d. The discharge of the fan E is provided with a gate valve 6, similar in construction to the" gate valve 03 for reignlating the amount of air carried by the fan into the feed supply pipe D,

The feed pipe D is shown as being carried up. above the level of the fan, the purpose to the ceiling of the furnace room. Pipe D enters the dust collector B at a tangent, so

that the air will be separated from the dust and escape through the opening'b in the upper part of thecollector, while the dust falls through the funnel 6, back into the -.hopper A. vTh ,construction of this dust G is placed so that itruns'adjacent to the furnaces. I have illustrated a fan. 9 for forcing air through an airpipa G,=1 whose FF. An air pipe similar to each other, hence I} will describe arm 9 to the rotating arm r1 them in connection with the furnace F.

Nozzle f, leading into the furnace ll, for conveying thereto a mixture of dust and air, is of well known construction and need not be specifically described. A fuel branch pipe 0Z connects nozzle f with the fuel supply pipe D, the end (Z thereof leaving the pipe D at an angle inclined in the direction of the flow of the fuel. Adjacent to the pipe D, branch (Z is provided with a gate;

valve d which is mounted upon a rotatable rod 03 by the rotation of which the gate valve (i may be moved to open to a greater or less extent the branch d. Rod (1 is'provided with a crank 03 an arm'd extending toward the floor of the room and provided at its lower end with a lever (Z but is mounted upon the pipe (17, adjacent to the nozzlef, in a convenient position for manipulation by an operator near the furnace F. Branch pipe (Z is provided. with check alve for preventing back-flashing from the furnace into the feed pipe. This check valve consists of two semi-circular disks (Z 01 pivoted upon a horizontal rod, which is secured at its opposite ends diametrically across the interior of the pipe (Z A relief valve (Z is supplied upontm side of the pipe (1 to relieve the pressi .:e due to any back-flashing. A branch air pipe g leads from the air pipe G to the nozzle f. It is supplied with a gate valve 9 of a construction similar to the gate valve d, by the positions of which the size of its opening into the nozzle is regulated.

To maintain the velocity of the fuel in the supply pipe, I introduce air into it at points following the points at which fuel is carried therefrom into the branch pipes, and L provide automatic means for regulating the amount of air thus admitted, to conform with the amount of fuel withdrawn, so as to maintain a uniform quantity of material in the fuel supply pipe. The means for thus maintaining the velocity in the fuelsupply pipe, is an air branch pipe G, leading from the-air pipe G into the fiiel supply pipe D, at a point immediately following the point at which branch pipe d projects from the pipe D. The means for regulating the opening of the pipe G in proportion to the opening in the branch pipe (Z is a gate valve 9 which is mounted upon a rotating rod 9*, which is connected by levers g and i that the arm g will rotate in unison with the arm (2,

meager and thus rotate the valve 9 in proportion to the rotation of the valve (i and thereby re ulate the opening of the pipe G in proportion to the opening of the pipe cl.

In operation: The gate valves 0? d having been adjusted to permit the desired amount of powdered fuel to descend from the hopper into the feed pipe D, and the gate valve (3 having been adjusted, so as to permit the desired amount of air to be drawn from the fan E into the feed pipe D, a mixture of air and pulverized fuel in the proportions desired, will be carried through the feed'pipe and thence into the dust collector B, at which point the air will separate from the fuel a nd be discharged thrpugh the exit Z), a ad the fuel will fall through the" of'the opening, will be carried from the fuel,

supply pipe to the furnaces. The opening of the valve (Z in a branch pipe simultaneously opens a valve 9 in the air branch pipe G, so as to carry into the fuel supply pipe an amount of air equal in volume tothe air and fuel withdrawn therefrom through the branch pipe (Z Should it be desired to vary the proportions of air and coal dust for any furnace, this may be done by admitting air from the air pipe G into the nozzle f, to be intermingled with the mixture drawn from the fuel supply pipe D. The amount of air thus being drawn from the air pipe G, is regulated by means of the gate valve 9 By this means each fuel supply for a fur; nace is made a unitelastic to the needs of that furnace. Should the branch pipe leading to a furnace and thebranch pipe leading nation of a hopper, a dust collector discharging into the h pper, a fuel pipe leading from the hopper into the collector, a series of furnaces adjacent to the fuel pipe,

an air pipe adjacent to the furnaces, means for forcing air through the'air pipe, nozzles leading into the furnaces, branch fuel pipes connecting the fuel pipe and the nozzles, branch. air pipes connecting the air pipe and the nozzles, and valves inithe branch fuel pipes and branchair pipes.-

2. In a powdered fuel feeder, the combination of a hopper, a dust collector discharging into the hopper, a fuel pipe leadlng from the hopper into thecollector, a series of furnaces adjacent to thefuel pipe, an air pipe adjacent .to the furnaces, means for forcing air through the air pipe, nozzles leading into the furnaces, branch fuel pipes connecting the fuel pipe and the nozzles,

branch air pipes connecting the air pipe and the nozzles, second branch air pipes leading from the air pipe into the fuel pipe beyond the branch fuel pipes, and valves in the branch fuel pipes and branch air pipes.

3. A powdered fuel feeder having a fuel circuit, means for feeding a mixture of fuel dust and air through the circuit, furnaces adjacent to the circuit, branch fuel pipes valves in the branch pipes,

leading from the fuel circuit into the furnaces, valves for regulating the opening of the branch fuel pipes,'an air pipe, ranch air pipes connecting the air pipe and the fuel pipe at pointsbeyond the branch fuel pipes,

' WALTER L. GAVEN,

- "Witnesses:

WALTER F. MURRAY,- 7. THo zN'roN BOGERT.

for

hereunto subscribed my name dshis21stday of August, i 

